POLK COUNTY COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT

Transcription

1 POLK COUNTY COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT The in improves the lives of children and families through the Migrant Seasonal Head Start program. The agency operates under the direction of the Board of Directors. Program guidance is given by the Policy Council with input, planning, and action provided by local program committees comprised of local parents. The s Migrant Seasonal Head Start program in served a total of 138 children in Of these, 100 children were classified as migrant children and 38 were classified as seasonal children. The in currently employs a centerbased option, serving children from one location in Independence, Oregon. The Short Term program is 13 weeks from June to September, operating 7 classrooms, both infant/toddler and preschool. In 2008, Polk received additional funding to operate a 15 week Short Term program for 2 additional service hours each day (8 hour day to 10 hour day). The Short Term program is offered 5 days a week from 6:15am to 4:15pm. The Long Term program runs for 32 weeks from March to November, operating 2 preschool classrooms, 5 days per week from 8am to 2pm. The service area includes the entirety of. The recruitment area, however, is determined by three factors: (i) the location of growers as the Oregon Child Development Coalition in attends to those especially agricultural areas of, (ii) the program center location and (iii) acceptable transportation times per the Head Start Performance Standards. CRITICAL ISSUES HOUSING Low income areas are going through a gentrification process where basically families are being pushed out. Family Service staff reports that Migrant families are moving into the Salem area where housing is more affordable. This essentially presents a challenge to transport children to the Independence location which is approximately 30 miles away. Although this is still happening, in 2007 an Agricultural Housing Development was constructed in Independence and quickly had a waiting list. There are 38 apartment units and they are at 90% full occupancy through the year. Families moved from Salem and the surrounding areas to this low income housing opportunity. 1

2 CHANGING MIGRATION PATTERNS As noted in the community assessment, the increased use of 'leased workers' may decrease the number of families that migrate to the area for agricultural employment. Consequently, families have chosen to seek work in cabinetry, restaurants, automobile mechanics, and agriculture work that does not qualify as Migrant or Farm Labor. Families continue to look for year-round work as opposed to seasonal and temporary agricultural work. In 2008, the cooler spring temperatures affected crops and migratory patterns for agricultural workers. According to the family applications completed in 2008, the majority of parents in agricultural work began later in the season than in previous years. IMMIGRATION Local Farmers have reported employing more single men versus families. Much of this is due to the latest immigration scares and the fact that it is more safe to send one person from the family versus the entire family from crop to crop for harvest. As a result, only part of the family settles within the area and although in need of Migrant Head Start services, these families cannot qualify for the program. The flipside to this is that for the local families with only one parent working in agriculture, and with one parent traveling/moving with the regional crops (possibly as a leased worker ), families are not moving as a unit and therefore qualify as seasonal instead of migrant. The trend in Polk County is a reflection of the national trend. According to the USDA Profile of Hired Farmworkers: A 2008 Update agricultural production now occurs on fewer and often larger farms. And declining farm employment reflects these trends. COUNTY PROFILE GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE Spanning some 2,010 square miles, is located in the northwestern portion of Oregon and in the heart of the Willamette Valley, and is home to Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. Created out of the Yamhill District in 1845, the county was named for President James Polk. The county seat, originally named Cynthia Ann, was changed to Dallas after then Vice President George Dallas. 1 Average elevation in is 325 feet above sea level. Average temperatures range from 39 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months to 66 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months. The area receives approximately 52 inches of rain annually, 1 Oregon Blue Book,

3 including rare snowfalls during the winter months, and is recognized for its fertile farmland, rich soil and the diversity of agricultural commodities produced in this area. 2 With the Willamette River to the east, has historically been considered part of small town America with its rolling hills and covered bridges. Only recently has the county experienced significant growth, causing some to speculate that is increasingly becoming a bedroom community for nearly Salem, Oregon s state capital. ECONOMIC PROFILE Data from Table 1 (all tables are contained in the earlier Oregon Community Assessment and OCDC Overview section of the Community Assessment) indicate that in 2007 the median per capita personal income in was $29,459 as compared to $36,492 for Oregon and $39,209 for the United States. Table 1 also shows the total number of individuals employed in in 2007 was 27,627 with 7.17 percent in agriculture. Unemployment in Marion County was 9.0 percent in 2007 and again 9.0 percent in 2008, but it increased to 9.6 percent in July In 2009, in, Weyerhaeuser closed their manufacturing plant in Dallas, as cited in the Statesmen Journal. In another Statesman Journal article, Medallion manufacturing announced that it had reduced their workforce with layoffs and a reduction of employee hours. As of August 21, 2009, a Medallion employee informed OCDC staff that an 60 employees had been laid off. Additionally, the Central School District faced $1.7 million in cuts resulting in program cuts, staff layoffs, hiring freeze, and/or a reduction of student days according to Central School District Budget Shortfall Information. Another major employer closed both a veneer plant in Independence and a paper product plant in Salem. Further, a computer chip manufacturing plant in Dallas closed this year. Due to the economy, is experiencing a slower housing market. This has caused a reduction in construction related jobs. For example, lay-offs have been reported at a local cabinet making company and the workforce has been reduced to a 4 day work week with over 70% of the workforce on volunteer lay off. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Data in Table 5 show the total population of in 2008 to be 77,074 up by 2.75 percent from 2007 and the total number of children under age four in in 2008 to be 4,278. Table 5 also shows the number of individuals (all ages) living in poverty in 2007 in Polk County was 10.8 percent and that the 2008 poverty rate for children birth to two years of age was 21.3 percent. The 2008 poverty rate for children ages 3 and 4 was 16.0 percent. 3 2 Oregon Blue Book, Annual Estimates of Eligible 3 and 4 Year Olds, Oregon Department of Education,

4 During the school year, 45.6 percent of students in were eligible for free or reduced lunch (Table 5). These figures are important to note because poverty is often associated with: health problems and access to health care; and the need for food stamps, temporary assistance to needy families (TANF), and housing. s 2008 Hispanic population numbered 8,841 which accounted for 11.5 percent of the population (Table 5). In 2007, the Hispanic population numbered 8,382. DATA ANALYSIS: ELIGIBLE, UNSERVED 3-4 YEAR OLD CHILDREN The Oregon Department of Education estimated there to be 1,780 children between the ages of 3 and 4 in in To estimate the total number of Head Start eligible 3 and 4 year old children, the Oregon Department of Education multiplied the total number of children by the poverty rate for, 16.0 percent. Thus, the total number of eligible Head Start children in is 284 children. From 284 children, the number of 2008 Head Start children served in by Head Start programs is subtracted. This number was 160. Thus, the total number of unserved, eligible Head Start children in 2008 was 124, or in terms of percentage, 43.7 percent. In the sections that follow, the will further refine the estimates from the Oregon Department of Education to provide estimates for the number of unserved, eligible Migrant Seasonal Head Start children in. PROFILE OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS In 2008, 137 children were enrolled in the Migrant Seasonal Head Start programs for on the basis of public assistance or income eligibility. Of this total, 88 children qualified as migrant and 49 qualified as seasonal. Overall, nearly 99 percent of the program participants in were of Hispanic or Latino origin, which includes persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South and Central American or other Latino culture or origin. The majority of these were primary Spanish speakers, including an increasing number of indigenous language speakers. Indigenous languages are typically spoken by those program participants from the Oaxaca region of Mexico and include the languages of Mixteco and Trique. Increasingly, the of Marion County has served indigenous families and continues to develop partnerships to support this population. DATA ANALYSIS: ELIGBLE, UNSERVED MIGRANT CHILDREN 4 Estimated Number of Eligible 3 and 4 Year Olds, Oregon Department of Education,

5 The contracted with a demographer, Jack DeWaard, who developed a method for estimating both the number of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and the number of children ages 0-5 of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Oregon counties for 2005 and The method builds upon Alice C. Larson s 2002 estimates of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and uses agricultural information from the Oregon Agricultural Information Network through Oregon State University. 5 Table 2 contains the estimated number of MFW and SFW for four years across an 11 year period from 1997 to In the estimated total number of MSFW increased from 3,039 in1997 to 4,534 in 2002 and, then, decreased to 4,338 in 2005 and increased again in 2008 to 4,346. The numbers reflect a shift in migrant to seasonal workers in the county. It is estimated that in 1997 there were 2,191 MFW in declining to 1,410 in Estimates indicate there were only 848 SFW in 1997 but they increased to 3,134 in 2002 and slightly decreased to 2,934 in The estimates of children of MFW and SFW reflect the changes discussed above. Table 7 shows the changes in this estimated population of children under five over a three year period from 2005 to The table shows there were 196 migrant children and 673 seasonal children in in The number of estimated migrant children increased slightly to 199 and the number of children from seasonal families increased slightly to 690 in Table 8 contains the number of 2008 estimated eligible, served, and estimated eligible unserved for each county where services are provided by OCDC. In the estimated number of eligible migrant children was 199 and the total number of migrant children served was 88, leaving 111 estimated unserved. The estimated numbers of eligible seasonal children was 690 and the total number of seasonal children served was 49, leaving 641 estimated unserved. STRENGTHS & NEEDS In this part of the report, information on services offered to children and families is discussed. External data from secondary sources and community organizations are usually used at the beginning of each subsection to construct a framework for specific strengths and needs. Internal data is then often used at the close of each section to demonstrate that program management, staff and parents of program participants actively participated in the construction and development of this document. EDUCATION Adult Education 5 Alice C. Larson, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Enumeration Profiles Study: Oregon, 2002, Larson Assistance Services. 5

6 In 2008, 103 parents reported their level of education on the enrollment form, with 61 percent having less than a high school education and 35 percent having a high school degree or GED for the Marion OCDC center. 6 The following is a breakdown of agencies providing education services to children and families in Marion County. In the area of adult education: The OSU Extension Service may lose their funding and not be able to provide services. The new Agricultural Housing Development in Independence offers adult education opportunities for both residents and non-residents. Some of OCDC s families are taking advantage of these classes. Adult education classes are offered by Chemeketa Community College at the local school district. Easter Seals is also offering adult GED classes, and nutrition, computer, and English classes. These classes are offered in collaboration with OSU Extension Office. OCDC and Colonia Amistad, a local farmworker housing center, have collaborated to offer parent education opportunities. OCDC, Chemeketa Community College, and Central School District partnered in 2008/2009 to offer computer literacy and English Now classes for adults enrolled in OCDC and the community at large. Early Childhood Education Partnerships in the area of early childhood education include: Henry Hill Elementary School utilized two classrooms this school year to serve a bi-lingual kindergarten class and the Migrant Education Preschool. As stated in the March 2007 Central School Newsletter, Central School District schools are overcrowded and the District Administrative Council has been considering various ways to address capacity issues. Voters supported the passage of the November 2006 bond measure that will help the school district with resources to meet the growing need for more classroom space. Henry Hill Elementary school continued to utilize two classrooms in the school year, but will not have the need in school year due to modular classrooms the district added to the elementary school. As stated in the March 2008 Central Schools Bond News, the local district would like to acquire the OCDC builing to meet their growing student population. In 2009, Henry Hill is not using any of the building space. MENTAL HEALTH & DISABILITIES 6 Program Information Report, OCDC,

7 Despite the dearth of data, methamphetamine use is on the rise in. Mexican methamphetamine is most common, followed by Canadian pseudoephedrine. 7 Of interest are the linkages to birth outcomes and offenses/arrests as presented in the Health and Nutrition and Family Services sections of this document. Data from the s Program Information Report show that no children in were provided mental health services in Likewise, 15 children were determined to have a disability. Of these 15 children, each was determined eligible to receive special education and related services. Primary disabilities included speech or language impairments. 8 The following is a breakdown of the agencies providing services - both in the areas of mental health and disabilities - to children in Marion County: A contract is in place with a Mental Health Provider who is bi-lingual and has experience working with children. The Mental Health Provider contract includes on-site consultations for parents and staff. Parents receive calendar dates of the Mental Health Provider schedule. Although a contract is in place, there is no bilingual (Spanish) mental health professional available in Independence, Monmouth, or West Salem. Families have to travel to Salem to see a Mental Health professional and services are only available if families have OHP or other insurance. If a family is uninsured, there are no Mental Health services available for adults or children. The WESD s local high-needs classroom has been displaced from their previous location within Community Action Head Start s Independence center. The WESD has requested space within OCDC s facility for the school year. In 2008, WESD (Willamette Education Service District) began leasing space in OCDC s building to offer specialized education classes to identified high need children. The WESD uses one of the Preschool classrooms and outside play space. Salem/Keizer School District Migrant Education program and OCDC have developed a partnership which focuses on recruitment & identification of 0-5 year old migrant children. In 2009, OCDC s center began developing a partnership with Family Building Blocks that could lead to mutually beneficial sharing of space at the OCDC facility in Independence. The gap analysis study that the Commission for Children and Families has been working on indicated the need for more early identification of children with disabilities. OCDC staff members in noted that improvements have been seen in the timeliness that WESD processes referrals. They also have stated there is a need for bi- 7 Methamphetamine Part I, 2006, Addiction Messenger. Oregon Health and Sciences University. 8 Program Information Report,

8 lingual grief counseling. Current efforts include locating resources for families who need these services. Then, partnerships can be established. HEALTH & NUTRITION In 2008, 137 children entered the Migrant Seasonal Head Start program in and 111 (81 percent) had insurance. From these numbers, 104 were enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan. For those without health insurance the Oregon Child Development Coalition worked with families to reduce the number of children without health insurance. The number of families receiving WIC services in Marion OCDC was 91. Statewide, since 2001, approximately 5.3 percent of female youth entering methamphetamine treatment were pregnant, representing at 5.1 percent increase in this population over the past 5 years. 9 Within, between the period and , there has been a 85.7 percent increase in the number of total births where drug use was involved. 10 The following is a breakdown of the agencies providing health and dental services to children and families in Marion Count: Northwest Human Services operates two clinics (sliding fee scale) in West Salem and Monmouth. The local Food Bank is only open two days a week from 9:00am-11:00am. Families OCDC serves have a difficult time utilizing this resource, however, due to work schedules and transportation issues The Oregon Health Action Campaign, in addition to working on legislative efforts around sliding scale fees, works to obtain free medications for clients and also assists clients in qualifying for OHP and hospital financial assistance programs. West Valley Hospital is building a satellite clinic in Monmouth to better serve the communities of Independence and Monmouth. The West Valley Hospital Monmouth site is open and serving the local communities. For emergency services, families still need to travel to Dallas or Salem. The Tooth Taxi came to Independence and served clients without insurance in both 2008 and OCDC staff members in noted that Public Health does not offer prenatal care for uninsured pregnant women. The closest available services are in neighboring Marion County at a local migrant clinic that provides prenatal care on a scale income basis. The closest delivery hospital is in Salem (Birthing Center). Staff members also expressed concern that there is no pediatrician that takes OHP in the Independence/Monmouth area, just general practitioners and the local migrant clinic is not taking new patients. Further, there is no pediatric dentist in the 9 Addiction Treatment Saves Money and Lives, 2006, Oregon Department of Human Services. 10 Birth Outcomes of Infants by Race and Ethnicity of Mother:, , Oregon Department of Human Services. 8

9 Independence/Monmouth are who accepts OHP. Families have to travel to Salem for dental care. FAMILY SERVICES The number of families receiving TANF funds was 4 for OCDC. 11 The Migrant Seasonal Head Start program responded to a range of family needs, the most common being emergency and crisis intervention, transportation assistance and ESL needs. - SDA 3 - ranks as having among the highest number of foster homes in the state of Oregon (501<n<1,037). Statewide, in 2005, parent drug abuse was responsible for 62.4 percent (n=3,855) of entrants into foster care statewide, an increase of 22.3 percent from the previous year. 12 In 2005, the rate of reported drug offenses in was 90.9 per 10,000 persons, the 10th highest rate in the state of Oregon. 13 This represents a 51.2 percent increase between 2000 and The following is a breakdown of the agencies providing family and social services to children and families in. An interagency agreement is in place with Child Care Information Services to refer families to local childcare options, both private and non-private. The SABLE House provides shelter services in to victims of domestic violence. Marion Polk Food Share provides 34 food pantries, 18 emergency meal programs and 5 supplemental programs. Each month, 62,390 food boxes are distributed, serving some 19,987 individuals. 15 Currently, Marion Polk Food Share is working on additional programs, including community gardens and Grow A Row. Healthy Start provides one-time and intensive home visitation services for first time parents. Mid Willamette Valley Community Action Agency provides 10 core services focusing on information and referral and housing assistance, serving over 15,000 clients annually. The Oregon Employment Department provides information and referral services, as well as job placement and training in collaboration with other service agencies. 11 Program Information Report, OCDC, Foster Care Trends, 2005, Oregon Department of Human Services. 13 Drug Laws Rates as Reported Offenses per 10,000 population for the Year 2005, 2007, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. 14 Reported Offenses for Drug Laws: The Change in Rate per 10,000 population between 2000 and 2005, 2007, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. 15 Regional Food Banks at a Glance, 2005, Oregon Food Bank. 9

10 Northwest Human Services operates the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project (HOPE) and the HOST Youth Family Program, serving nearly 700 homeless clients in The Ella Curen Center in Independence is a dependable resource for families that are in need of food and diapers. The in is involved with the Hispanic Advisory Committees of Polk, Linn and Benton Counties. OCDC staff members in noted that the Hispanic Advisory Committee of is no longer active. They also reported that for less expensive furniture, clothing, and other resources, families must travel to either Salem or Corvalis. CHILDCARE Oregon Child Care Research Partnership reports the following information on child care in in There were 758 slots in child care and education centers and 774 slots in family child care. Oregon s goal is to have 25 visible slots for every 100 children and Polk had 14 per 100 children. It was also reported that 423 children age 0-12 received state assistance (through DHS) with part of all of their child care costs. 16 A recent 2006 report estimates that the DHS childcare subsidy is adequete to purchase less than 50 percent of provider care in east. 17 The following is a breakdown of some of the agencies providing childcare and related services to children and families in. CCIS (Child Care Information Services) stats indicate that there are 120 registered child care providers in all of Polk county. There are 35 within the 120 that are registered with Spanish being the primary language spoken at the child care site. Due to the cost of certified childcare, many of the families served by the Oregon Child Development Coalition in choose to place their children in less expensive, non-certified childcare environments. It was reported by an OCDC staff member in that, in 2008, many families requested putting siblings (ages 10-13) on Emergency cards as an authorized person to release a child to in the afternoon, instead of adult supervised care. TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING 16 Child Care and Education in Oregon and its Counties: 2008, prepared by the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership OSU Oregon Childcare Market Rate Study, August 2006, Oregon State University Family Policy Program, Oregon Childcare Research Partnership. 10

11 The following is a breakdown of the agencies providing transportation services in Marion County. Central School District no longer provides maintenance for school busses and vans. For 2007, busses will be serviced by Laidlaw in Dallas and the van will be serviced by a commercial business. OHP offers transportation for families to medical appointments, but the family must provide a car seat. Car seats are provided to families at local car seat clinics only if parents bring a car. So, for families that do not have a car it is difficult to obtain a car seat that is needed to receive transportation assistance from OHP. A challenging catch-22 for some families. The regional public transportation service, CARTS, schedule has very limited service to. This makes it challenging for families to use CARTS to access Salem resources (doctors, dentists, resources). Based on the current schedule it would take all day for a family to attend an appointment in Salem. CARTS does serve Monmouth and Independence, but the schedule is not userfriendly for the families OCDC serves. The Statesman Journal reported on January 16, 2009 that Saturday transit service will no longer be available. Once Saturday service is gone, most riders said, on Saturdays they ll need to take a taxi, carpool, catch a ride with a friend-or use their feet. And it s a hardship for those who have no other form of transportation to get to work or to the doctor. Regarding housing, there were 4 labor camps in for 2006 and 4 in The total labor camp occupancy was 31 in 2006 and 49 in It was reported by an OCDC staff member that most new home construction is higher end and the only new low-income housing is the Migrant Agricultural Housing Project which was completed in 2007 in Independence. 18 Agriculture Labor Housing Registry, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services,

12 EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES, CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSED CHANGES EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES Table 8, contained in the earlier Oregon Community Assessment and OCDC Overview section of this report, listed 2008 estimated eligible and served migrant and seasonal Head Start children. Because it will be referred to several times in this section, a copy of it is also contained on the next page of this section. Because OCDC gives first priority to migrant children, the following discussion focuses on them. For 2008, the estimated eligible number of migrant children in the state was 4,464 of which 3,679 were located in the 12 counties OCDC serves (Table 8). Of the estimated 3,679 eligible children, OCDC served about half (1,803), leaving 1,876 unserved. There is also an estimated 785 eligible unserved 0-5 year old children living in the other 24 counties in the state. If resources are available, what opportunities should OCDC pursue? Three broad possibilities exist: market penetration, market development and combined market penetration and market development. These three approaches plus other supporting strategies are discussed next. An important reason for presenting these ideas is to inform the Board of Directors and Policy Council as they consider future directions for the agency. Following this presentation are concluding CA remarks plus proposed changes. MARKET PENETRATION With this approach, OCDC would penetrate or access children from the estimated 1,876 migrant children existing in its current territory or market. In Table 8, the Marion/Multnomah/Clackamas three-county area has the largest estimated number of these unserved children (822). The Hood River/Wasco combined area is the next largest with 807 estimated unserved children. An advantage of this strategy is that it would probably be less costly than other ways to serve additional children. OCDC already has resources (e.g., staff, buildings, and buses) and experiences (e.g., relationships with growers and other service providers) in these counties and this probably means less effort would be necessary to serve additional children/families than moving into new counties. This would certainly be true if additional children could be served at current sites that were not operating at full capacity and it would be less true if new service sites were needed. 12

13 Table 8: 2008 Estimated Eligible, Served & Estimated Unserved Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Children Ages Estimated Eligible Migrant Children Served Migrant Children Estimated Eligible Unserved Migrant Children Estimated Eligible Seasonal Children Served Seasonal Children Estimated Eligible Unserved Seasonal Children Oregon 4,464 1,803 2,661 14, ,238 OCDC Counties Hd River/ 1, , ,782 Wasco ( ) (1,618+1,285) Jackson Jefferson Klamath Mar/Mul/ 1, , ,449 Clack ( ) (306+14) (2, ,44 ) (63+129) Malhuer Polk Umatilla , Wash , ,041 Total OCDC Counties Total Unserved Counties 3,679 1,803 1,876 11, , , ,298 Selected Unserved Counties Yamhill Benton Lane Sources: Indirect estimates of migrant and seasonal children ages 0-5, OCDC, 2008; Program Information Report, OCDC,

14 MARKET DEVELOPMENT Another approach is to serve additional children from the 785 estimated unserved migrant children located in counties OCDC does not currently provide service. Hence, OCDC would spread out or develop new territories/counties/markets. In Table 8, OCDC s unserved counties with the largest estimated eligible migrant children are listed. Yamhill County with 393 children has the largest estimated unserved number followed by Benton County with 175 and Lane County with 97. A reason for selecting this approach over market penetration is that children/families in new counties may have greater education, disability, mental health, etc. needs than the additional children that could be served through the market penetration strategy. COMBINED MARKET PENETRATION AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT Employing a combined strategy means OCDC would serve additional children in both its current 12 counties as well as new counties and combine the benefits of each approach. In general, knowledge about the market penetration and market development strategies helps decision makers visualize and understand location differences with regard to serving additional children/families. OTHER STRATEGIES Other strategies also may need to be considered. Suppose a program has decided to serve additional children in new counties or at new sites in its currently served counties. The next question needing an answer is: How should the program enter those new areas? It could enter by itself (start-up entry) or it could partner with others (strategic alliance entry). If OCDC elects to use the start-up entry approach it has complete control of all decisions and the outcomes, both positive and negative. However, OCDC will be responsible for all associated costs. If a strategic alliance is established, the costs are mitigated but there is the need for collaboration and cooperation. An important part of a strategic alliance is the development of a formal (written) document between the two or more involved parties covering the agreed upon commitments and responsibilities. Ideally, partners provide the alliance with different resources, capitalizing on each of their strengths. Resources include: staff, buildings, equipment, expertise, and funding. Each partner, in turn, hopes that the benefits of the alliance--a synergy--will be greater than those from their individual efforts. The alliance can be cooperation or collaboration. The main differences between these two types is that a collaboration is a more active form of cooperation and, as such, requires more input time while producing more output benefits for the parties. Although alliances are attractive and partners can see the benefits during the planning phase, some do not produce the desired outcomes. Often problems arise during implementation when unexpected issues occur and the parties cannot agree on what actions should be taken. 14

15 CONCLUSIONS OCDC is serving the needs of many Migrant and Seasonal families in Oregon. OCDC offers an array of services to meet family needs to match peak agricultural seasons while addressing long-term needs of seasonal workers who remain in the community. The scheduled hours and program options are designed to meet the varying needs of each of the twelve counties where most migrant and seasonal workers reside or work. However, the season for agriculture continues to evolve into one that is year round with no one peak harvest period due to crop diversity, crop rotation, and changing farm management practices. In some areas it is reported that there are more than one peak season where additional workers are needed. Agricultural reports indicate a continued growth in planting of orchards, vineyards, and hop yards and a growing emphasis on local farm to market activities supported by the industry and the consumer. OCDC has extensive partnerships in the state that are designed: to meet the needs of their employees, through professional development; and to meet the needs of the families, through collaborative partnerships with key agencies in the state providing health, disabilities, mental health and educational services. Of particular note is the expanded emphasis and interest in family literacy and working with local clinics to provide medical and dental services. PROPOSED CHANGES The following are suggested changes associated with the Community Assessment process. Estimates of MSFW and their children should be carefully reviewed and an emphasis placed on validating the numbers in the state, the counties and in local areas within the counties. There appears to be a need to develop a weighting scale to assist in the prioritization of future expansion into additional counties or within current counties served in the state. Should expansion dollars or other resources become available, the scale would include criteria for weighing family and community needs to determine the neediest areas. It is suggested that data be gathered from each of the twelve counties rather than consolidating Clackamas into Multnomah and Marion and combining Hood River with Wasco. Questions contained in the parent survey should be reviewed. Some questions may need to be redesigned to reduce their ambiguity. Also, depending on the purpose of the survey, other questions may need to be added to more fully cover the services offered by OCDC and the needs of families. It is recommended that timelines for completing data reports to inform the grant application using the Needs Assessment, Community Assessments, Training and Technical Assistance Plan, Goals and Objectives and Budget be reviewed and revised at the county and state level. 15

16 An ongoing CA team, led by the Director of Resource Development at the central office, needs to be established to oversee the data gathering and analysis process, and to identify trends that impact the services OCDC offers. The outcomes of the CA can be integrated more fully in training and technical assistance, grant applications, goals and objectives and the self assessment. 16